In conventional rail vehicle technology, it can be common to provide the front end of a trainset with a front hatch which covers the coupler pocket in the closed state to protect the structural elements or components of the coupling arrangement from environmental influences such as dirt, ice or icing. Such front hatch can additionally be accorded the function of eliminating aerodynamically disadvantageous frontal sections, which can be of particular importance in the case of streamlined trainsets such as high-speed trains.
Front hatches configured as a single-piece unit, as well as those configured as two-piece units, are used with conventional trainsets, both can be closed under normal conditions and might be opened only when the coupler needs to be used, for instance when two trainsets operate in double traction. A manually or automatically actuatable front hatch kinematics can be used to move a front hatch relative to the vehicle chassis and expose the working area for a central buffer coupling.